Talk of damming Baffle Creek?

FOI request reveals study of the viability of a
Dam on Baffle Creek

In February 2008 sources
within Government leaked information to The Wilderness Society that a
proposal to dam Baffle Creek was about to be put to the Queensland
Cabinet. A later Freedom of Information search confirmed that a document
had been prepared considering the viability of a dam on Baffle Creek
(see
http://www.wilderness.org.au/files/baffle-creek-foi.pdf).

A dam located just upstream of Mimdale gauging station
was considered "the lowest cost option able to provide a significant
increase in supply to Gladstone". Studies of the possible yields of a
Baffle Dam had also been done in 1996 and 2004. The latest study in 2007
had a main scenario of a 23m high wall giving 76000ML capacity and
providing 30000ML/a. This was costed as $160-180 million indicative
costs including operating cost and $5,333-6,000 indicative cost per ML
of supply.

This most recent study warned that a dam would put
increasing pressure on river ecosystems from fishing, water abstraction
and other human impacts especially during drought. A dam would also
allow water weeds to thrive (salvinia and hyacinth). The risk of
spreading weeds downstream and causing fish kills was also mentioned.
The study stated "A dam on Baffle Creek will have potentially
significant impacts on the near pristine aquatic ecosystems of
Baffle Creek, its estuary and the coastal zone. A dam on Baffle Creek
will also have local economic impacts in terms of recreational
fishing and tourism." Yet the study did not rule out building the dam.

Anna Bligh responds to public outrage, but nothing in writing

Although Premier Anna Bligh told reporters after the scandal broke that
";There will be no dam built on Baffle Creek for as long as I am
premier and as long as I lead the Queensland government - in fact I
can't see a dam being built on Baffle Creek in my lifetime. All of the
advice I have is that it's a very environmentally sensitive area and the
water supply to Gladstone can and will be secured by the pipeline that's
currently being built from the Fitzroy River," there has been no further
confirmation of this in writing. The only media release was earlier on
from the Minister for Natural Resources and Water Craig Wallace stating
No decisions have been made about putting any new water
infrastructure, including a dam, in the Baffle Creek catchment,
which provides no guarantee at all.

We are very afraid that Baffle
Creek could turn into another Traveston Dam tragedy where the Government
denied all rumours of a dam until it was already under way.

Call for legislation to protect Baffle Creek

We are asking for legislative protection, such as that under the
Wild
Rivers Act 2005. Protecting pristine or near pristine Queensland rivers
by declaring them wild rivers is a Labor election commitment. Six wild
rivers in Qld have already been declared, with a further three "pristine
and near pristine" rivers nominated by Premier Bligh and Minister
Wallace in June 2008.

We believe that Baffle Creek should also be considered
for protection - its crucial location in highly populated SE Qld means that its near
pristine nature is under much more threat than the previously nominated
rivers (in remote Cape York and Fraser Island). Feeding on to the southern end of the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the northern end of the Great Sandy
Marine Park is further justification for careful management of the
Baffle Creek Basin.

This area is recognised as
significant in terms of natural heritage, being a near pristine
estuarine system according to the National Land and Water Resources
Audit 2001. The numerous National Parks in the Baffle Basin have allowed
fishing and other nature-based tourism activities to prosper, and the
declaration of Baffle Creek as a Wild River will ensure the future of
these important industries. The natural and cultural values indicative
of a "Wild River" are all present.

It is time to use the flexible
nature of the Wild Rivers program, allowing for more human impact, to
protect the more developed rivers like Baffle Creek that are under
threat now.

Minister Wallace has said about Wild Rivers “while we want to
preserve our wild rivers we also want local communities to continue to
prosper.” We wholeheartedly agree and will provide our full support
for any nomination of Baffle Creek under the Wild Rivers Act, and
welcome the community consultation that will occur as part of this
process.

Click here to email
or write a letter to State and National politicians calling for
legislative protection.

Petitions circulate on paper and on the internet
(now closed)

The text of the paper petition we will
submit reads: The community of the Baffle Creek Basin demands Premier
Anna Bligh protects Baffle Creek’s pristine environment and flows from
dams and weirs by placing it under permanent preservation legislation
now. You can sign a copy at many community centres, businesses,
schools etc in the region and it is available to sign at events FOBB organises. You can download and print the petition here (http://fobb.enviro.org.au/baffledampetition.pdf).

Please send the completed form to The Honourable Anna Bligh, PO Box
15185, CITY EAST QLD, 4002 or hand it to a FOBB member.

Queensland
residents have signed the official e-petition
on the government website here
which reads Queensland Residents draw to
the attention of the House: concerns over long-term threat over the
development of a dam or weir on Baffle Creek. Your petitioners,
therefore, request the House to protect the Baffle Creek’s pristine
environment and flows from dams and weirs by placing it under permanent
preservation legislation.

Globally, people are also signing this petition on
Care2.com's petition site. Its interesting to read the comments made
by people all over the world about Baffle Creek.

"Whilst the Dept of Natural Resources and Water is
willing to further assess the suitability of the natural values of the
Baffle Creek for a potential declaration as a Wild River, it is not
currently a priority catchment for wild rivers consideration...

The department is also currently in the process of developing a water
resource plan for the Baffle Creek Basin...

The petition regarding Baffle Creek, along with other community feedback
on the issue of dams and weirs on Baffle Creek, will be taken into
consideration as part of the water resource planning process."

In September concerned citizens and community
representatives gathered in Rosedale to discuss options.
Click here for
photos and info from the day.

On November 9th at the 1770 SES (and market) grounds
musicians from the Sunshine Coast, local politicians and community group
representatives initiated the campaign in the Agnes/1770 area.
Click
here for photos and info from the day.

The Solution

We realise its all to easy to say don't dam our
beautiful river, but there needs to be a solution offered.

About 250 thousand litres of rain every year falls on
the roof of the average small house, most of which is piped to the
streets and then the ocean in storm runoff. About 200 thousand litres is then pumped to the same house from dams sometimes hundreds of kilometres away.
Qld water management still groups utilize this old and unsustainable paradigm of centralised water storage in dams, with expensive and environmentally damaging transport to towns and cities hundreds of kilometres away. Centralising water storage means the death of many beautiful ecosystems around rivers and aquifers.

Governments should move from centralized storage to empowering more diverse regional capture
and storage as well as recycling and increased efficiencies. As sustainability recommends that every person become carbon neutral, so too we can all become water neutral. Here in the Baffle Basin most landowners capture their own rainfall
and run off and are self-sufficient. Some new developments at Agnes Water have shown the perfect example of how entire communities can be water neutral. Industry would benefit from this too.

Baffle Creek should remain a benchmark river system for everyone to enjoy.

Get involved!

Please
click
here to join us on facebook, or even better - come along to our next
meeting.